Only When I Lose Myself
Only When I Lose Myself
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| Song | Only When I Lose Myself |
|---|---|
| By | Depeche Mode |
| Songwriter | Martin L. Gore |
| Produced by | Depeche Mode Tim Simenon |
| Recorded at | Abbey Road Eastcote |
| Length (mm:ss) | 4:41 (album version) 4:34 (single version) 3:52 (radio edit) |
| Tempo | 87 BPM |
| Time signature | 4 4 |
| Key | A♭ Minor |
| Programmed by | Stephen Hilton |
| Engineered by | Robin Hancock Philip Bagenal Tim Weidner |
| Engineering assistance | Paul Hicks Seymour Milton |
| Drums | Christian Eigner |
| Art direction | Mat Cook |
| Photography | Rick Guest |
| Sleeve design | Intro |
| Recorded | 1997–1998 |
| Originally released | 7 September 1998 |
| Live performances as Depeche Mode | 72 times * |
| Total live performances | 80 times * |
"Only When I Lose Myself" is a song from the 1998 compilation album The Singles 86>98 by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 7 September 1998.
Notes
Martin Gore told Associated Press:
"'Only When I Lose Myself' is a bit more soulful, and it's quite slow for us. Kind of like a ballad, but it's a bit of a rockin' ballad. It's about relationships, one of my favorite topics. I've always found love quite obsessional. People talk about co-dependency; to me I've always found there's something co-dependent about being in love — that's what love is all about."
Depeche Mode said in the Singles 86>98 EPK:
Martin Gore: "It's a ballad that's quite slow for us to put out as a single, generally our faster stuff does a bit better, always tends to, anyway. But I think it's got a really good atmosphere, something quite obsessional about it."
Dave Gahan: "I think it's a continuation of what we did with Ultra, but we got a lot more soulful. During the making of Ultra, I've become a lot more confident about my singing. I felt like I was doing something that was from me and not for everybody else. I challenge myself to, like, I wanna get better at this. I wanna feel myself improving at something, and for a long time now I felt like I wasn't improving. I lost my way a little bit there, and fortunately I am very grateful for the opportunity to make to Ultra. I had the chance, musically, to feel like I'm actually producing something that really adds to it, [and] is really part of the sound of Depeche Mode. I think 'Only When I Lose Myself' is like I went to a place in the song that felt good inside. I have to think about the words that Martin has written but how I see them, how I feel about them. I think we all influence each other like that. Even though we don't know directly that we're doing it, I think that we bounce off each other, and I think that's what makes Depeche Mode still work."
Gahan told The Baltimore Sun:
"Although it's very soulful, I think it's got an intense feel about it. There's something about the song that I think makes you want to drive harder. It pumps along quite well. We were just recording a few songs, and... we had the time and the space to explore some other areas. We had the time to actually relax with this one, and it went in quite a few different directions before we landed, really."
Gore in BONG magazine issue no. 37, 1998:
"I see this song as a soul song. I think that Depeche Mode does soul on the right side of the soul line again."
Lyrics
Only When I Lose Myself
It's only when I lose myself in someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
Something beautiful is happening inside for me
Something sensual, it's full of fire and mystery
I feel hypnotised
I feel paralysed
I have found heaven
There's a thousand reasons
Why I shouldn't spend my time with you
For every reason not to be here
I can think of two
To keep me hanging on
Feeling nothing's wrong
Inside your heaven
It's only when I lose myself in someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
I can feel the emptiness inside me
Fade and disappear
There's a feeling of contentment
Now that you are here
I feel satisfied
I belong inside
Your velvet heaven
Did I need to sell my soul for pleasure like this
Did I have to lose control to treasure your kiss
Did I need to place my heart in the palm of your hand
Before I could even start to understand
It's only when I lose myself in someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1998 Grabbing Hands Music Overseas/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Music video
Live performances
- Main article: Available recordings of "Only When I Lose Myself"
- Main article: List of dates where "Only When I Lose Myself" was played
